Knitting machine



Dec. 13, 1 932. cox 1,891,023

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 3, 1929 [HINDU Patented Dec. 13, 1932 TED,STATES ADAM llI. COX, OF LYN GHBURG, VIRGINIA,

OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA .AssIGNoR-ToLYNC'IIBURG HOSIERY Mints;

KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed December Another object of my invention is to pro videan improved cam set for cooperation with needles to be selectivelyelevated,or left selectively in elevated position, for the purpose oftaking striping or pattern yarns from yarn guldes which preferably areat a higher elevation than'the other yarn guides.

lar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Fig. 1 is a partial vertical section of a machine embodying myimprovements,

Fig. 2, an elevation of the cam ring, in section,

Fig. 3, a fragmentary inner elevation of the cam ring and yarn guides,

Fig. 4, an elevation'of the cam set, showing the top center cam in adifferent position from that of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5, a detail showing speci needles employed.

In the drawing reference character 10 indicates a needle cylinder whichmay be of any desirable or conventional form and which has needle slotsas usual in which needles 11 are positioned for up and down movement.Thesinker ring 12, the sinkers 13, the yarn guide operating bars 14 andother parts not hereinafter specifically described may all be ofconventional or desirable type.

The main yarn guides 15 v (which term is herein used to designate any ofthe guidesexcept those for the special pattern yarns) may be ofconventional form and may be operated in conventional manner through thebars 14 under control of pattern mechanism of conventional type, but thepattern yarn partly mens of the guides 16 and 17 preferably haveopenings at their ends as indicated at 18, through which the patternyarns are led instead of passing through to the bottomofthe yarn guidesand preferably these openings 18 are Referring to the drawing, which ismadea part of this apphcatlon and in which snnr 3,1929. serial No.411,302.

formed in small extensions of the pattern yarn'guides, as clearlyindicated in Fig. '1, thereby to feed the pattern yarns close to theneedles and under the hooks ofthe same. Preferably also the pattern yarnguides are held in more elevated position. at their outer ends than arethe main yarn guides and for this purpose I provide adjusting screws asindicated at 20 in the yarn guide bracket 21. The adjusting screws areheld in position by set screws 22. As clearly shown'in Fig. 3 this makesthe normally lowered position of the pattern yarn guides somewhat higherthan that of the yarn guides 15.

The cam set comprises stitch cams 23 and 24, bottom center cam 25 andtop center cam 26 and a fixed needle separating cam 27. The top centercam, as best shown in Fig. 2, is mountedon a standard 28 having ahorizontal slot at 29 and the cam is held in place by a'pair of screws30 in such a manner as to permit the cam to move circumferentially ofthe cam ring to an extent illustrated by comparison of Figs. 3 and 4. Inthe one position it may somewhat overlap cam 27 and in the otherposition it approaches rather closely to cam 23.

The needle-separatingcam 27 is interposed substantially between'topcenter cam 26 and stitch cam 24'for thepurpose of separating theneedles. Needles of three varieties are used in the machine, theseneedles compris I 'ing long butt needles 31 in,;a half circle extendingover approximately one-half of the circumference of the needle cylinder,these needles being those idled during the operation of making heels andtoes and being designated' as instep needles, Needles 32 with mediumbutts are those ofzthe other half of 1 the set, on which heels and teesare knitted by oscillation in ordinary manner. Inter spersed among theneedles of boththeother sets are short butt needles 33 and these needlesmay be positioned at intervals about the needle cylinder insuch numberas de sired, For making; a particular pattern the short'butt needles inthe present instance are shown as occuringiinpairs with a long buttneedle .betweenthem, as in Fig. 3,:but any otherarrangement may be madeas the pat- 1C0 tern requires. By this arrangement,and in the absence ofother controlling factors, longitudinal stripes will be made in thefabric, the length of such stripes being in this instance controlled byputting pattern yarn guides into and out of action.

Toprovide room for the cam 27 the stitch cam 24 is somewhat reducedadjacent the cam 27. The stitch cam 23 is also reduced somewhat, ascompared with conventional stitch cams, so as to provide space for theneedles to pass between it and top center cam 26 in making reciprocatingwork. The upper face of bottom center cam is also reduced somewhat,particularly at the right hand and of the same. In Fig. 3the top centercam is shown as having slid to the left so far as permitted by the slot29 and the lefthand screw 30. The long butt and medium butt needles willengage the active face of cam 27 as they pass from stitch cam 2 and willbe carried down to a level below the lower end of said. cam. Yihen theynow engage cam 26 they. will be carried still lower to a level wherethey can engage stitch cam 23 and draw their stitches. The butts of theshort butt needles are so short however that they will not engage cam 27but will pas across its face until. they reach cam 26, whereupon theywill be carried down to the bottom of the cam so as to engage stitch cam23. and draw their stitches. In this manner the short butt needles areleft at such an elevation as to travel along the path indicated at inFig.

i 3 whereas the medium butt and short butt needles pass along the pathindicated .at 36 and therefore the short butt needles will take the yarnfrom pattern yarn guides 16and 17 but all the needles will take the mainyarn fed from any one of the guides 15.. It is desirable to have the cam26 spaced laterally to some small extent from cam 2'7 in knitting thepatterned portion of the stocking but if the cam 26 were permanentlylocated in the position indicated in Figure 3 there would not be enoughroom between it and cam 23 for the needles topass in heel and toeknitting. In order therefore that the cam 26 may be able to assumesubstantially a central position between cams 23 and 24 for heel and toeknitting (but an offset position during knitting of the patternedportion, i. e., usually the leg or a part of the leg) I have mounted thecam 26 for free lateral movement. By thus leavtoo high and strike thecams 26 and 27 above their cam faces.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations maybe made in the construction shown in the accompanying drawing anddescribed in the specification and therefore I do not limit myself toany means for guiding a main or body yarn. to the needles and forguiding a pattern yarn there to at a point higher up than the main yarnand in advance thereof; and a needle-actuating cam set includingstitch-cams, a top center cam, and a. cam for lowering the long-butt andmedium-butt needles before they'pass the yarn guiding means to a levelwhere they take only the main or body yarn, said top center cam beingmounted for circumferential sliding movement relatively to the needlecircle, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I alliX my signature.

ADAM M. COX.

